Under the "dual carbon" goal, the coal power industry has had a hard time. Since 2021, under the pressure of carbon reduction tasks, various localities have increased their efforts to shut down coal-fired power generation units. In some areas, a “one size fits all” situation has occurred. A large number of coal-fired power plants have been shut down directly in a fast-paced manner, and some areas have even proposed to shut down coal power plants. Timetable for all coal-fired power plants. Superimposed on the rapid rise of market coal prices in the second quarter, many coal-fired power companies have encountered operational difficulties. At the same time, it has also triggered a shortage of electricity in some areas and brought challenges to the security of the power grid.

Carbon neutrality is a big game. The power industry, which accounts for the highest proportion of carbon emissions, bears important responsibilities. Some people believe that the decarbonization of the power system is to "clean the house and entertain guests." If the coal power units are not shut down as soon as possible, wind power will not be able to be turned off. Please come in for new energy sources such as, photovoltaics, etc. In the long run, it is the general trend of zero-carbonization of electricity for coal power to give way to new energy sources such as photovoltaics and wind power. Coal power will bring serious consequences.

The shortage of power supply in some places in the summer of 2021 is enough to explain the problem. China currently has a surplus of electricity, but there is a shortage of electricity in some areas at certain times. In the summer of 2021, the temperature in many parts of the country continued to rise, daily electricity consumption repeatedly broke historical records, and the load of 11 provincial-level power grids including Guangdong, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui, Fujian, and Shaanxi reached a record high. When electricity is most needed, new energy cannot serve as a “reinforcement force” due to its small capacity, large number, scattered distribution of single power generation units, and significant intermittent, volatility, and randomness, and the burden of ensuring power supply has fallen again. Go to the coal power plant.

Avoid one size fits all

The "Annual Development Report of China's Power Industry 2021" released by the China Electricity Council shows that the country's full-caliber power generation will be 7.62 trillion kilowatt-hours in 2020, of which thermal power will account for 67.9%, which is the absolute main supply force. The contribution of wind power and photovoltaic power generation is only 9%. Although new energy installed capacity has maintained rapid growth in recent years, it is still difficult to meet the high power consumption growth due to issues such as power generation efficiency. In order to ensure power supply, in the summer of 2021, the National Development and Reform Commission issued a notice to a number of large domestic power generation groups, requiring that the coal storage level of power plants be increased within a time limit to ensure that there should be no coal shortage during the peak period of power consumption. If coal-fired power is really reduced in a large area in a short period of time, the consequences will be disastrous when the grid load situation is tight.

Even in Europe, where environmental protection standards are strict, coal power cannot be completely eliminated. Although EU financial institutions have introduced nearly 40 coal restriction policies in 2020, there are still some EU countries that will miss the 2030 coal withdrawal node. Germany plans to withdraw all coal in 2038, while Poland, Romania, and Bulgaria have no plans to phase out. The Czech Republic and Slovenia are still considering a date.

On the road to carbon neutrality, how to treat coal power is more importantly considered in light of national conditions. For a long time, as a country with oil-poor, less gas, and relatively rich coal, coal occupies two-thirds of China's energy structure and has played a strategic support role in national economic and social development. Before the large-scale consumption of new energy and the safe and stable operation of the power grid are overcome, coal power will still play an important role in the power system. With the continuous improvement of the electricity market mechanism, when coal power can obtain reasonable income through the auxiliary service market, it will also play a better regulatory role.

Keywords: new energy, overseas engineering, international engineering construction, foreign engineering construction news

In the future, coal power will transform from baseload power to peak-shaving power and become a guaranteed energy source. Combined with CCUS (Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage), coal power is also expected to achieve zero carbon emissions, while providing guaranteed power while ensuring the flexibility of the grid. Under the vision of carbon neutrality, future new energy power generation, energy storage, thermal power, and CCUS can form a technology portfolio. This process is achieved through continuous technological advancement, development and transformation. Therefore, it is not necessary to talk about the color change of "coal".Editor/XuNing